Serious Part Procurement Problem

[ChrisInNashville]

The cables on my heater/air slides have been "frozen" since a dash restoration a couple years ago...they worked fine prior to being disconnected for three months waiting for the restoration of the instrumentation.

So, Jorn, my highly skilled and truly compassionate mechanic informs me today that the parts will be about $1,800 in addition to the 14-18 hours of labor.   I think the parts are ventilator box (that his source only has 4 remaining...) and a very expensive plastic housing which is $1,400!

So, where can I procure these parts at a lower price and/or used on short notice?

Here are the #`s
1138350101 gone over to 1138350001
1138300405

Any ideas or suggestions?

Chris

[J. Huber]

Wow. I would think a parts car somewhere could have a usable replacement? Hasn't anyone here done this job -- 18 hrs plus parts? I'd either figure out how to do it OR more likely, live without a heater! Good luck Chris.

James
63 230SL

[ChrisInNashville]

I agree...but no heater cuts my driving season short and at 5'7", I've got enough short in my life!

Seriously, are there good sources for parts cars?   I've not found any reliable ones in the past...

[CarlG]

Have you tried SL Tech in Maine? There should be a link to him in the suppliers area.

1967 230sl (stick)

[Longtooth]

Uhhhhh.... but like, uhhhh what's broken though??  

What I understand is that they worked fine... then somebody tore the dash apart for instruments removal/installation... then after everything in dash was back together, you discovered the heater cables are "frozen"... which I take to mean they won't budge.

Please don't tell me your highly skilled, compassionate mechanic did the dash instruments removal/installation.

How 'bout undoing the dash again to see what might not be letting things move... and if only if necessary get down to the ventilator box.  If the cables are still hooked up properly, then there's always the simple possibility that a good dousing with graphite will work to free them up.

I just have trouble understanding how something down-under can be broken when the dash instruments were out.  I can understand them sticking... getting some rust or something so they won't move now, but how anything actually broke so that they require replacement is beyond me with what you've described.

1. if the primary heater slide doesn't move (the one that opens and closes the heater valve --- check the heater valve... most likely culprit or the linkages to it are frozen or not installed correctly.

2. if the passenger side heater vent isn't moving, reach under into the ventilator opening at the bottom and find out whether the flap can be moved... it may be snagged/interfering on the housing... either that or the cable's stuck ... and moving the flap by hand can unfree it.

I presume the air flow controls are working... I would be interesting if the air control cable isn't working though.... since that's got nothing to do with the heater contols.  

Almost sounds like a couple of cables are jammed or kinked by misrouting to the ventilator flaps.  

Sorry if I sound skeptical about your needing parts costing $1.8k without knowing what's broken on them in the 1st place.  You must know more than you've posted.


Longtooth
67 250SL US #113-043-10-002163
'02 SL500 Sport

[AGT]

Chris

I had the same issue when I was getting the heating fixed on my 280 last winter but my mechanic would not contemplate the renewal option. These are passive parts - the plastic housing is just a box - and can't really be broken beyond repair unless your guy has taken the dashboard and heating system out with his teeth. You should take a look at the parts which he has taken out and encourage your mechanic to get patching!

Regards
Andrew

[merrill]

if you are talking about the distribution box SLS has them on their web site for 658 euros,
  they also have the
vent channels for 90.29 euros.
entire heater control set for 410 euros (levers and cables)

I cannot comment on the labor rate for r/r.

both  can be ordered thru k and k mfg,


http://www.sls-hh-catalogue.de/bin/dbframes.phtml?mid=IN02

Matt
66 230 sl - "white"
78 300 D - Blue
98 C230

[glcg123]

This past summer I spent a few hours fixing the defrost/heat cable (top right) on my 230SL. It is possible to incorrectly assemble the  control wires so that they bind on the control mechanism. You have to tighten the nut on a post that the control wire goes into. The post is free to turn so that there is no binding during its arc of movement. The first time I tightened it the post and wire turned 90 degrees. The wire was catching on the dash and would not move.

I took it apart again and straightened the wire out. There is a small notch just above the lever control on the dash. It should be just at the point where the dash leather ends. I was able to insert a small screw driver from the front that prevented the wire from bending when being tightened on its lever post. It works very smoothly now.

I am surprised that the air vent control, top left is also binding. It is a very short cable that goes to the front. Maybe this one was bent too.

I suggest that you remove the speaker cover, and speaker. You may be able to see something binding. Whatever you do do not force anything. I did have to make a short 6mm box end wrench to tighten the nut on the post that the wire goes into.

I simply bought a cheap 6mm wrench and cut it in half with my grinder. You only have about 2 inches of length to work with in there. It worked well.

Once I had done it I could probably do it in just a couple of hours. The Benz Doctor gave me some tips on diagnosing my problem.

George
1965 230SL 4 speed

[113gray]

Chris, having done this job on my 113 & a 108 myself, I am very skeptical also. Even a "good" mechanic can take the easy way(for him)or just be mistaken. I've seen this so many times over the years that I now do any job that I possibly can myself. Were I you, I would follow the group's advice & remove whatever's necessary to find out for yourself exactly what the problem is, starting perhaps w/ a limited approach thro the speaker opening, but prepared to go further if required. The solution will then be apparent. I suspect it will not cost anything like that kind of money! Randy Durrance(RIP)wrote a classic article in The Star w/ pictures (Nov/Dec issue, p.90)for this job in the 108's (very similar for the 113's) that will likely never be improved upon & a huge improvement on the BBB. A search on this list will supply abundant excellent instruction as well. Good luck.  
Jim Pancoast, '66 230SL, Tidewater Virginia

[enochbell]

I replaced mine two years ago with help from Gernold at SL Tech in Maine, as recommended elsewhere in this post.  He had all parts available, used, at reasonoble prices.  No, wait a minute, if Gernold reads this post the prices were outrageous, highway robbery, but I paid up anyway...

Seriously, give Gernold a call, he will set you straight,

g

'64 230sl, fully sorted out...ooops, spoke too soon

[ctaylor738]

I am a newbie at this, but I have have just had the ventilation system almost totally apart to replace the blower.  The passenger temp control is a simple little vent. There is nothing in the air box to jam, and unless the car was left outside by the sea, I don't see how the cables could corrode in three months.  It has to be that the cables were hooked up incorrectly to the controls, probably twisted, as suggested.

Chuck Taylor
1970 280SL #14076
Falls Church VA